I don't know if anyone else here has thought about long hair this way but sometimes I'll look at the length and think about events in my life that have occurred during its growing. I'll look at each 1/2 inch and think about each month represented.
Time can be so fleeting. I just like that there is a part of me that is representative of its passing. It's almost like I'm bringing some of the past with me and with it the added wisdom and experience.
It's hard to fully put into words what I mean and perhaps I'm being a little too philosophical here but this is for me one more thing I love about long hair.
Can anyone relate to what I feel?
My Site
Jason,
I reach up and touch my hair and sometimes, like you, I get a sense of the history there. Its carrying experience now instead of being clipped off and swept into the garbage. I know that the hair on my head is the same hair I brought with me to Oregon, the same hair that hiked up to a mesa and enjoyed the spectacular view with a dear friend. I also look back at the pictures Ive taken along the way and it truly is becoming a manifestation of internal changes in my own life. I made the decision to start growing my hair because Im working through some personal issues right now, a need for growth and change. But change isnt easy, and my hair is serving as a physical reminder of that fact. Just like growing hair out, change can be awkward and frustrating. Sometimes I contemplate just pulling out the clippers and giving up on both processes, but Ive continued to move forward simply because I know that my hair and my soul will eventually morph into something new and different, something I look forward to. Every week is another small step forward, another 1/8th inch of history. Life, like hair, is a journey.
Mouse
Hey Jason - Yeah I can relate. I think part of what you're saying has to do with the "journey" of growing our hair, which is a metaphor for our lifes journey. I'm a runner and I can look back over years of running; different trails, weather conditions, trips I took where I ran in a new and different place, people I ran with, decisions I made or things I resolved out there alone with my thoughts. It gives me a point of reference.
You know we are all so anxious to "get it long." But if we only focus on 6 months or a year from now we miss the daily and monthly happenings and important moments along the way. In other words, these are what we will some day refer back to as the "good ole' days," so we best enjoy em' why we can because, as you said, life IS fleeting.
I saw a video once where they interviewed people in their 90's. They asked them, "If you had to live your life over again, would you do anything differently?" Each and every one of them said things like they would take more risks, try more new things, worry less, pursue more of what really made them happy. Not one of them said they would try to make more money or live in a bigger house! Carpe Diem (Sieze The Day) - Bruce'ster
Long hair is a unique way to mark the passage of time.
Sometimes when I'm untangling my hair, which I estimate has about 8 years growth, I think about what I was doing in 1999. I'm reminded of all the changes in my life that have taken place since then.
Ed
So true Jason. It IS hard to fully put into words..........but I can relate as the same holds true with myself also.
Justin
yeah i do that too. I havent been growing for very long(1 year 4 months) but when i see pics of myself with hair just below my ears, i automatically think of last summer. The length of your hair i guess could be considered a landmark for a certain time period in your life. Which could definately be the reason as to why it becomes a part of your personality and why we dont want to cut it.
I can definitely relate to how you feel.sometimes I find myself thinking, "hey,the ends of my hair were with me when I was in Greece for vacation in summer '05" which is cool.I feel the same way about music too.whenever I listen to a particular song,memories of what I was doing at the time I listened to the particular song the first time arise instantly.It's sort of a weird feeling...
Wow. That's strange that you mention that. I think about that a lot.